The first stage is called the sensorimotor stage and has several sub stages (Huitt, W., & Hummel, J. 2003).
Piaget believed that this took place in children from birth until approximately two years of age. Motor skills without symbols demonstrate that the child has intelligence. New information about the world is beginning to be learned through the child’s experiences. Awareness of object permanence is formed. The child’s knowledge expands further due to an increase in physical capability. The child develops some language towards the end of this stage which is also called symbolic intelligence.
The next stage is called the pre-operational stage (2 – 7 years old) which has two sub stages (Piaget, 1964). Intellect is shown through the advancement in language used, Memory and imagination are present but thinking is in a non-logical and egocentric way.
The concrete stage (7 – 11 years old) is demonstrated by the increase in knowledge and intelligence. This is shown by rational operation of concrete objects associated to symbols for example when dealing with such areas as volume, mass, weight, liquid, number, length. The transition from egocentric thinking and operational thinking take place (TheGreatDecide, 2011).
The final stage is the formal operational stage: Adolescence – Adulthood (Arlin, 1975). This stage shows people’s ability to think about abstract concepts. People return to egocentric thinking during the beginning of this stage and many people do not reach this stage when they have reached adulthood.
Many pre-schools are based on constructivist learning which is supported by Piaget’s theory. This encourages the child’s own interests and enables them to learn when they have the capacity to move to the next stage.
The first stage is called the sensorimotor stage and has several sub stages (Huitt, W., & Hummel, J. 2003).
Piaget believed that this took place in children from birth until approximately two years of age. Motor skills without symbols demonstrate that the child has intelligence. New information about the world is beginning to be learned through the child’s experiences. Awareness of object permanence is formed. The child’s knowledge expands further due to an increase in physical capability. The child develops some language towards the end of this stage which is also called symbolic intelligence.
The next stage is called the pre-operational stage (2 – 7 years old) which has two sub stages (Piaget, 1964). Intellect is shown through the advancement in language used, Memory and imagination are present but thinking is in a non-logical and egocentric way.
The concrete stage (7 – 11 years old) is demonstrated by the increase in knowledge and intelligence. This is shown by rational operation of concrete objects associated to symbols for example when dealing with such areas as volume, mass, weight, liquid, number, length. The transition from egocentric thinking and operational thinking take place (TheGreatDecide, 2011).
The final stage is the formal operational stage: Adolescence – Adulthood (Arlin, 1975).
This stage shows people’s ability to think about abstract concepts. People return to egocentric thinking during the beginning of this stage and many people do not reach this stage when they have reached adulthood.
Many pre-schools are based on constructivist learning which is supported by Piaget’s theory. This encourages the child’s own interests and enables them to learn when they have the capacity to move to the next stage.
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Stages of Development continued on Experiments page